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<h1><a href="https://archiveofourown.org/works/28895232">every time i see you (i die a little more)</a> by <a class='authorlink' href='https://archiveofourown.org/users/sakuranohiraishin/pseuds/sakuranohiraishin'>sakuranohiraishin</a></h1>

<table class="full">

<tr><td><b>Category:</b></td><td>Sakurazaka46 (Band)</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Genre:</b></td><td>Alternate Universe - Soulmates, F/F</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Language:</b></td><td>English</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Status:</b></td><td>Completed</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Published:</b></td><td>2021-01-21</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Updated:</b></td><td>2021-01-21</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Packaged:</b></td><td>2021-05-13 09:35:47</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Rating:</b></td><td>Teen And Up Audiences</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Warnings:</b></td><td>No Archive Warnings Apply</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Chapters:</b></td><td>1</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Words:</b></td><td>11,091</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Publisher:</b></td><td>archiveofourown.org</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Story URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/works/28895232</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Author URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/users/sakuranohiraishin/pseuds/sakuranohiraishin</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Summary:</b></td><td><div class="userstuff">
              <p>[It hurts, but she can handle the pain if she can spend just a little more time with Yui.]</p><p>Minami just wishes they could go back to how things were before she started thinking about who Yui's soulmate might be.</p>
            </div></td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Relationships:</b></td><td>Kobayashi Yui/Koike Minami</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Kudos:</b></td><td>19</td></tr>

</table>

<a name="section0001"><h2>every time i see you (i die a little more)</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>For a split second the audience is silent, allowing the last note of the song to fade away. Then, a booming applause breaks loose. Kobayashi Yui bows, says a few more words to thank her fans for their support, and then wishes them a safe trip home.</p><p> </p><p>Together with all the other people, Koike Minami gets up from her seat and heads towards the cloakroom to pick up her jacket. However, before she can actually leave the concert venue, she is stopped by a staff member.</p><p> </p><p>“Koike Minami-san?”</p><p> </p><p>“Yes?”</p><p> </p><p>“Please come with me.”</p><p> </p><p>Her eyebrows furrowing, Minami follows the man to a room that seems to be some sort of backstage area. The door is closed and she is left alone in the room, wondering if she accidentally broke one of the venue’s rules - but then the door opens, and with it, Minami’s eyes widen.</p><p> </p><p>“Hey, Minami.” Kobayashi Yui looks relieved as she slips through the door, her face slightly sweaty from the hot lights on the stage and her eyes sparkling with post-concert adrenaline.</p><p> </p><p>“Yui-chan?!”</p><p> </p><p>The singer nods, grinning in satisfaction. “So I was right, you’re actually here. I almost didn’t recognize you with that hair color, I was worried you might be… someone else.”</p><p> </p><p>Minami runs a hand through her hair, glancing at the tips of the blonde strands. She started bleaching it almost a year ago, but it has been longer than that since the last time she saw Yui. “Right… we haven’t seen each other in a while.”</p><p> </p><p>That is her own fault entirely, and she knows it - but Yui does not look angry. Of course not; she doesn’t know the real reason Minami left her behind. “Well, we’re back together now, so… can I invite you out for dinner? I’ll pay. I want to talk to you again.”</p><p> </p><p>The older woman feels torn for a moment. She wants to go home and sleep; but at the same time, she hasn’t talked to Yui in years, so she doesn’t want to waste this chance. “Alright,” she gives in. “But I don’t have much time.”</p><p> </p><p>Yui nods, once again seeming relieved because Minami didn’t reject her invitation. “Just for an hour or two. Come to my dressing room so we can talk while I take this off?” She gestures at her outfit from the concert.</p><p> </p><p>The thought of seeing Yui undress <em> almost </em> makes Minami’s brain want to short-circuit. “I’m not sure that’s a good idea-”</p><p> </p><p>“What are you saying, you’ve seen me naked countless times and I’m not even going to be completely naked now. You don’t have to look at me if it bothers you.” Clearly, Yui does not want to lose a single second of her time with Minami, even if she doesn’t say it out loud. She leads the way to her dressing room with a renewed spring in her step.</p><p> </p><p>Once inside, Minami watches her first pull out the hair tie that keeps her hair up in a ponytail and shake her head so her hair can fall into a more natural style. Yui looks beautiful like that, Minami catches herself thinking. <em> This </em> is why she moved away years ago when they were in high school - because Yui’s red string might lead to someone else, and in that case, Minami would just be breaking her own heart by falling in love with her.</p><p> </p><p>Even though the girl - no, the young woman - in front of her is so perfectly lovable.</p><p> </p><p>When Yui opens her mouth to say something, Minami notices that something is missing; something that she always found cute about Yui. “You had someone take out your tooth?”</p><p> </p><p>“My tooth?” Yui’s tongue moves around her mouth, poking at the spot where she had a crooked tooth as a child, the spot that is empty now. “Oh, that one. Right, that was… my manager said I’d look better without it.”</p><p> </p><p>“Your… manager. Right.” Minami sighs quietly. She has no right to complain; she has changed a lot herself. What if Yui doesn’t like her blonde hair? Indeed, she went to the hairdresser that day almost a year ago without even thinking about the younger woman. This was a change she solely made for herself.</p><p> </p><p>As if she read the older woman’s mind, Yui pulls her shirt off over her head and smiles at her. “That hair color looks good on you. I would’ve never imagined it on you, but it’s nice.”</p><p> </p><p>A barely audible sigh of relief escapes Minami’s lips. “Thank you. I’m glad.” She averts her eyes while Yui picks up a different shirt and puts it on, successfully concealing her body again.</p><p> </p><p>They make mostly small talk while Yui finishes changing, and then they pick up their bags and head towards the exit of the venue. The hallways are mostly empty now, but Yui puts on glasses and a mask to hide her face anyways; that is just how the life of a singer seems to be. However, before they can leave the building, a man steps in front of them. “Where are you going, Yui?”</p><p> </p><p>Minami has no idea who the man is, but Yui clearly seems to know him, judging by the way he has called her and the way she groans when he stops her. “We’re just going out, Takahashi-san. It’s going to be fine, no need to worry.”</p><p> </p><p>He frowns slightly. “You know you’re not supposed to go out alone.”</p><p> </p><p>Yui grabs Minami’s hand and holds it up in front of the man’s face. “I’m going with Minami. She’s a friend. Don’t worry, nothing bad will happen.”</p><p> </p><p>‘Takahashi-san’ doesn’t seem very convinced, but he reluctantly takes a step to the side. “Meet me in the hotel at eleven PM.”</p><p> </p><p>“Eleven? But it’s already nine-thirty.”</p><p> </p><p>“Eleven-thirty, then. Not a minute later.”</p><p> </p><p>The singer sighs and nods, pushing past the man and pulling Minami with her. “My manager, Takahashi-san,” she explains as they step out into the darkness outside the venue. “He doesn’t let me go out at night because something <em> might </em> happen to me.”</p><p> </p><p>Minami smiles wryly. “Well, you are a singer who has fans now.”</p><p> </p><p>“Exactly. Sometimes I feel like that’s all he cares about - YUI the singer. Not Yui the person.” She points at one of the posters just outside the venue. It is adorned with a photo from Yui’s last CD release, and she is clearly having fun on the poster - but Minami can see that there is definitely a difference between Yui the person and YUI the singer.</p><p> </p><p>As they walk, the older girl glances down at both Yui’s and her own hand, but just as she remembers it, their skin is absolutely bare. When she looks up and focuses on the things that not everyone sees, the cobweb of red strings is there just like always, some paler and others more vibrant, reliably showing her that everyone in this city is securely connected to their soulmates via their red string of fate.</p><p> </p><p>Minami has always been able to see them, ever since she was a young child - the red strings of fate of the people around her. Everyone has one, though Minami has learned with time that in some rare cases, the string can be invisible even to her, and if a person loses their soulmate for whatever reason, their string will tear apart and turn black.</p><p> </p><p>However, Minami cannot see her own string, which seems to be the case for most people who can <em> see </em>, and Yui seems to be one of the rare people whose strings are completely invisible. So sometimes - like right now - Minami wonders if Yui has ever gotten anywhere close to finding her soulmate.</p><p> </p><p>“So, Yui the person…” the older woman continues from where they left off a little earlier. “Has she found her soulmate yet?”</p><p> </p><p>Yui stops in her tracks, pausing for a moment, but then she shakes her head. “No, not at all. Here, look at my hand, can you still not see anything?” She holds her hand right in front of Minami’s eyes and the older woman stares at her small finger for a few more seconds for good measure.</p><p> </p><p>“No, I can’t see anything.” Saying the words out loud makes them feel a little more official than Minami likes. It’s almost painful to act like nothing is wrong when she has apparently not lost a single ounce of her feelings within the past few years. “Don’t worry, I’m sure you’re going to find your soulmate.”</p><p> </p><p>“Oh. Fine then.” Yui looks a little disappointed, but she doesn’t bring the topic up again as she leads the way into a restaurant.</p><p> </p><p>Minami enjoys spending the evening with Yui much more than she would like to admit. In high school, she left their hometown to run away from her feelings, but she has always felt bad about leaving the younger girl behind with no explanation and no means of contacting her. She did, however, miss Yui very much, and even when she stopped thinking about the younger woman every single day, she did not stop <em> liking </em> her.</p><p> </p><p>As they eat, the topic of their conversation shifts to what they did in the years that they were apart. “So… you actually got to fulfil your dream,” Minami muses, an almost wistful smile on her lips as she eats.</p><p> </p><p>Yui nods, taking a sip from her glass before she answers. “I did… but also not entirely. There’s still something missing.”</p><p> </p><p>“Oh? What is it?” A part of Minami is afraid that the answer will be ‘my soulmate.’ At the same time, she knows that she will eventually have to accept the fact that Yui likely belongs with someone else.</p><p> </p><p>The singer, however, gives her a sheepish grin. “You.”</p><p> </p><p>“Me? No no no, you can’t say something like that. Your soulmate is the one who’s missing.” Rejecting the answer that she was secretly hoping for hurts, but Minami has to do it. She can’t allow herself to fall for Yui any more.</p><p> </p><p>Yui looks a little disappointed about that reaction, but she stifles whatever words might be threatening to leave her lips by bringing another bite of her food to her mouth. “Well. If you say so. You’re the expert on the whole string thing.”</p><p> </p><p>It is then that Minami empties her first glass of beer and orders a second one. She doesn’t normally drink much alcohol, but in this situation, she feels like she needs something to distract herself from the pain that pools in the back of her mind. Much to her surprise, after her second beer, Minami thinks she can see a hint of red around Yui’s little finger - but when she squints and tries to focus on it, the tiny pop of color is already gone again. “Must be the alcohol,” the older woman mutters to herself and shakes her head with a smile when Yui asks if something is wrong.</p><p> </p><p>The two hours that they have together pass much too fast for Minami’s taste. It is eleven-fifteen when Yui glances at her phone to check the time and grimaces slightly. “It’s eleven-fifteen already… I need to get going if I want to be back in the hotel at eleven-thirty.”</p><p> </p><p>“Of course. You probably don’t want to make Takahashi-san mad.”</p><p> </p><p>“Oh, I couldn’t care less if he gets mad. I’ve probably already made him mad way too many times. I just don’t want to give any journalist the opportunity for a scandal or something. You know… Takahashi-san is annoying sometimes, but he has his reasons.” The singer smiles wryly. She would prefer having a different manager, someone who could give her more freedom, but Takahashi does what he does for the sake of her career.</p><p> </p><p>Thus, Minami heads to the restroom to wash her hands and when she comes back to their table, Yui grins at her. “I paid already, so let’s go.”</p><p> </p><p>“Really? You didn’t have to, you know.” It feels weird to be spoiled by Yui now, especially because Minami remembers that <em> she </em> used to be the one who spoiled Yui.</p><p> </p><p>But the younger woman shakes her head. “No, I said I was going to pay. It’s okay.” For a short while, they walk in silence, until she speaks up again. “So, what kind of job do you do now? You know that I’m a singer, but what about you?”</p><p> </p><p>“Oh.” Minami hesitates for a moment; her own job is not nearly as exciting as Yui’s. “I… work in a convenience store.”</p><p> </p><p>“That sounds nice. Must be good to have an actually normal job where people don’t constantly follow you around because they want your autograph.” Yui loves being a singer, but the popularity certainly has its tiresome aspects.</p><p> </p><p>“It’s not actually that great.”</p><p> </p><p>They fall silent again, though the silence feels comfortable now. Yui’s hand occasionally brushes against Minami’s as they are walking close together, and each of the small, unplanned touches causes Minami’s heart to beat a little faster. However, they soon stop at a red traffic light and Yui points towards the street that turns right at the traffic light. “I have to go right here, my hotel is in that area.”</p><p> </p><p>“Oh, right. I’m going left.” Minami doesn’t want to say goodbye to her childhood friend just yet, but she knows she has to; not just for Yui, who has to be back at the hotel in a few minutes, but also for herself. “Then… good night, Yui-chan.”</p><p> </p><p>“When will we meet again?” Yui asks, her hand quickly grabbing Minami’s wrist before the older girl can disappear into the dark night.</p><p> </p><p>“I don’t know.” Minami’s voice is quiet as she speaks. “My job is keeping me pretty busy these days.”</p><p> </p><p>“And yet you had enough time to come to my concert?”</p><p> </p><p>“Yes, it’s my first completely free afternoon and evening in two weeks. And besides, I can’t afford any more of your tickets.”</p><p> </p><p>The singer looks disappointed, and her grip around Minami’s wrist loosens slowly. “Oh… alright, I see. That makes sense, I guess. Then… good night.”</p><p> </p><p>Minami smiles sadly, her face illuminated by the streetlight that they are standing under. “Yui-chan, I…”</p><p> </p><p>“Yes?” Yui perks up hopefully.</p><p> </p><p>But the older woman does not voice her true feelings. She simply remains silent for a few seconds and then reaches out to pat Yui’s shoulder. “Good night,” she repeats quietly. “And good luck for all your concerts.” With that, she turns around and leaves, not aware of Yui’s eyes on her as the younger girl watches her walk away.</p><p> </p><hr/><p> </p><p>When she wakes up in the next morning, Minami almost thinks the evening with Yui was nothing but a dream. When she sees the ticket on her nightstand that says <em> YUI - Second Solo Concert </em> in large white letters on a black background, however, the blonde girl remembers that everything did actually happen.</p><p> </p><p>She doesn’t have much time to dwell on those thoughts; she needs to prepare for her shift at the convenience store that she works at. As she brushes her teeth and makes herself a bento for her lunch break, Minami hums one of Yui’s songs to herself softly; halfway through the song, however, she pauses and shakes her head rapidly in an attempt to get rid of the thoughts of her childhood friend.</p><p> </p><p>There is no point in thinking about Yui so much; they’re probably not going to meet again anytime soon.</p><p> </p><p>A couple of days pass with Minami trying to convince herself of exactly that; Yui must have more concerts in other cities. Minami doesn’t know how many concerts are on Yui’s schedule, and she also doesn’t know how many of them are in which city; thus, Yui might not even be in the city anymore.</p><p> </p><p>With her intense thoughts about Yui fading, Minami’s life slowly returns to normal. She does not come back to the venue where she watched her first - and only, as she tells herself - one of Yui’s concerts, and focuses solely on her shifts in the convenience store. That is exhausting, but at least it takes her mind off the painful feelings that she already tried to run away from in high school.</p><p> </p><p>One night, however, Minami is working a late shift in the convenience store. She is sitting at the register to ring up the customer and a young woman steps in front of her. The woman’s face is hidden by a mask and she is wearing sunglasses even though it is already relatively dark outside. As she speaks, thanking Minami for the change she receives, her voice, muffled slightly by the mask, reminds Minami of someone - though she cannot quite pinpoint <em> who </em> it reminds her of.</p><p> </p><p>An hour later, Minami finishes her shift, leaves the register and heads to the break room to pick up her belongings. She wishes her coworkers a good night and then leaves the store - only to stop in her tracks skeptically when she notices a suspicious figure leaning onto the wall next to the entrance that she just walked out through. “Can I help you?” she asks, trying not to sound as nervous as she feels inside.</p><p> </p><p>The young woman from earlier takes off her sunglasses, though in the darkness, Minami still doesn’t quite recognize her face. “It’s me, Minami.”</p><p> </p><p>“Yui-chan?!” Minami’s eyes go wide and the wall that she built around her feelings threatens to fall once again. “What are you doing here? I thought you’d left the city.”</p><p> </p><p>Yui nods, and the mask hides the wry smile that appears on her lips. “Most people think that, probably. I have some concerts on the other side of Japan in a few days.”</p><p> </p><p>“Then what are you still doing here?”</p><p> </p><p>“Hiding?” Yui offers, her voice a little quieter now. “I’ve been working on a new song and I need some peace and quiet.”</p><p> </p><p>Minami has a feeling she knows where this is leading and lets out a soft sigh. “Come with me,” she says, starting to walk down the street towards the nearest bus stop. “I’ll show you a nice spot.” After all, she has lived in this city for a couple of years already.</p><p> </p><p>The bus stops in front of them only minutes later and Yui sits right next to Minami once they get on, even though there are lots of empty seats around them - not many people take this bus out of the city after nine PM. Minami doesn’t mind, but she does feel her heart beating a tiny bit faster.</p><p> </p><p>“Where are we going?” Yui asks curiously.</p><p> </p><p>“It’s a surprise.” Minami smiles at the younger woman. She is about to take Yui to her favorite spot in the city, a small hill in the outskirts from which she loves to watch the nightlife of the city every once in a while. Were this - Minami barely dares to think about it - an actual date, she would probably have prepared some food so they could have a nice picnic at night, and she would have brought a blanket so they wouldn’t get cold.</p><p> </p><p>But it is <em> not </em> a real date. They will not kiss; they will probably not even hug each other. Minami is simply providing Yui with the ‘peace and quiet’ she needs to work on her new song. Maybe she will even leave earlier than Yui. Maybe she will go home before Yui does, and then Minami will make herself a big cup of hot chocolate and wrap herself in her favorite blanket and then cry until her hot chocolate takes on that faint hint of a salty taste from her tears. Or maybe she will video-call her mother and ask her to show her Pomu, her dog who lives with her parents right now because Minami doesn’t want to leave him alone when she’s working (and then she will cry too because she misses him and wants to hug him).</p><p> </p><p>Every scenario that plays out in Minami’s head ends with her crying, and she has to blink rapidly a few times in order to hide that. “We’re getting off at the next stop,” she informs Yui, her voice a little quieter than necessary because she doesn’t want it to tremble and betray her emotions. “We’ll have to walk for a few minutes then.”</p><p> </p><p>“Okay.” Yui doesn’t look like she’s in the mood to walk very far, but she isn’t complaining either. She follows Minami as they get off the bus at the next stop, which is luckily very close to Minami’s hill of choice.</p><p> </p><p>A somewhat weathered path leads up to the top of the hill and Minami, who has been here many more times than Yui, takes the younger woman’s hand into hers in order to make sure the doesn’t fall. When they reach the top of the hill, Minami drops Yui’s hand as if she had touched something hot, much to the singer’s disappointment. “We’re here.”</p><p> </p><p>“Ah… it’s beautiful.” Having been her close friend for many years, Yui immediately sees what it is that Minami wanted to show her.</p><p> </p><p>The lights of the city. The cars belonging to the people who work late shifts and who are on their way home now. The stars and the moon in the sky.</p><p> </p><p>“I really like this place,” Minami explains, taking a few steps forward. “I come here sometimes when I want to hide from my life. I thought you might like it, since you said you needed some peace and quiet.”</p><p> </p><p>“Oh. <em> Oh. </em>” Yui doesn’t seem entirely satisfied; apparently she didn’t reveal her true feelings or intentions either. But then she puts on a smile and nods. “You’re right, it’s really nice here. The view is beautiful.”</p><p> </p><p>“Mhm.” Minami lets out a small hum of agreement and then, after a moment, she decides that now is the time to go home and cry herself to sleep. “I should get going now. I have to work tomorrow.”</p><p> </p><p>Yui’s eyebrows rise. “Then why did you take me here?”</p><p> </p><p>
  <em> This is not a date. This is not a date. This is not a date. </em>
</p><p> </p><p>“Because you wanted some peace and quiet. Good luck with your new song, Yui-chan.” Minami smiles wryly and turns away, starting to walk slowly.</p><p> </p><p>The singer hesitates, but when Minami’s body starts to disappear down the hill, she raises her voice. “Wait, Minami!”</p><p> </p><p>Minami stops in her tracks, but doesn’t turn back. “What is it?”</p><p> </p><p>“I don’t have anywhere to stay tonight. I’m supposed to have left the city already, but I told Takahashi-san I had something to take care of.”</p><p> </p><p>Against Minami’s will, her lips move and utter the question, “What did you have to take care of?”</p><p> </p><p>“You.”</p><p> </p><p>Minami takes a deep breath and closes her eyes for a moment. “You… can stay in my apartment. I only have one bed, though.” This will be fine, she tells herself - it’s going to be painful, but she can handle it. She hears hurried steps on the pathway behind her, and only moments later, she feels Yui’s warm presence right next to her.</p><p> </p><p>“That’s totally fine, you know that.”</p><p> </p><p>As they are on their way back into the city, Minami comes to a realization; she has not told Yui where exactly she works. “How did you find the convenience store I work at?”</p><p> </p><p>Yui frowns slightly. “That was hard. I wanted to go see you again before I left the city, but you didn’t even give me your phone number. Even when I asked people if they knew you, everyone said no. Do you know how hard it is for me to talk to people without them recognizing me?”</p><p> </p><p>Minami smiles wryly. “Well, you’re popular after all.”</p><p> </p><p>“Exactly. But at least I had this.” Yui fumbles through her pocket and finally takes out a business card with the logo of Minami’s convenience store. “You dropped it during the dinner we had together and I forgot to give it back to you. I just didn’t know that there are more than one of those stores in this city.”</p><p> </p><p>The older woman nods slightly, but she doesn’t take the business card back. “You… can keep that card, then. If you ever need to find me again.”</p><p> </p><p>“I know where your workplace is now, I won’t need it,” Yui retorts with a hint of amusement in her voice.</p><p> </p><p>Everything almost feels normal again, Minami thinks to herself as she leads the way back to her apartment and unlocks the door. It almost feels like one of the sleepovers they used to have in elementary school, when Yui would come to Minami’s house and then crawl under Minami’s blanket when she couldn’t sleep.</p><p> </p><p>And yet, everything is different now. They are adults now, and because they haven’t seen each other in years, the tension between them feels very different - at least to Minami herself. She wants nothing more than to tell Yui that she is sorry for leaving her behind in high school - “it’s because I like you, but your soulmate might be someone else” - but she cannot tell Yui that. She is afraid of whatever answer she might receive, be it positive or negative.</p><p> </p><p>The older girl’s heart already starts to ache a little when she thinks about that, but she tells herself that this must be how everything is supposed to be. It hurts, but she can handle the pain if she can spend just a little more time with Yui.</p><p> </p><p>
  <em> Just this one time. She’ll be going to the other side of Japan after that. I won’t see her again, and everything will be okay. Just a little bit more. </em>
</p><p> </p><p>That night, Minami makes sure to leave some space between herself and Yui when they lie down on her bed. As soon as Minami is asleep, Yui carefully inches a little closer to her before she goes to sleep.</p><p> </p><hr/><p> </p><p>After her first meeting with Minami at the concert, Yui dreams of her childhood friend again. She has not dreamed of Minami in years; only shortly after the older girl transferred to a different school has Yui dreamt of her.</p><p> </p><p>What Yui used to dream of was the future - a future in which she met Minami again and they talked about how much they missed each other. (Now she has met Minami again, and Minami has not talked about missing Yui even once. Yui tries not to let that discourage her.)</p><p> </p><p>What Yui dreams of now is the past. Their first meeting in elementary school, where the teacher made Minami take care of Yui  and Minami realized that there are certain things that she has to work harder for than Yui. Where it already became clear that Yui has certain talents that Minami seems to lack. Where Minami forced herself to call her <em> Yui-chan </em> in order to pretend everything was fine, but she always looked annoyed when she did it.</p><p> </p><p>Yui also dreams of the day when some older students laughed at her when the teacher scolded her in front of everyone for skipping a PE class because she wanted to play the piano instead. That was the first time Minami stood up for her, and it resulted in both of them having to stay behind after school to help the teacher clean up the classroom.</p><p> </p><p>Everything was easier back then. Nobody cared about who their soulmate was or might be. Yui dreams of a fictional past in which ten- or eleven-year-old Minami comes running to her and proclaims, “I can finally see my string! It leads to you!”</p><p> </p><p>When she wakes up after that dream, a melody is stuck in Yui’s head. Something that she is sure Minami would like. She sits at her table to write it down immediately, and a few words come with it - an early attempt at the lyrics for what could possibly be a new song.</p><p> </p><p>
  <em> The stream continues to murmur, just like my feelings for you. </em>
</p><p> </p><p>Does that make it too obvious? Yui is not sure. But Minami doesn’t have to know that the song is for her - or maybe she will know, and then she will finally realize how Yui feels about her. A hint of worry grows bigger and bigger in Yui’s heart with every word she writes - what if Minami doesn’t like her? What if Minami left her behind because she <em> dis </em>liked her?</p><p> </p><p>- It doesn’t matter. Yui needs to vent her feelings and if this song gives her the space to do so, then she is going to make use of it.</p><p> </p><p>
  <em> It would be better if the two of us could just be friends. </em>
</p><p> </p><p>She almost wants to cross that line out and forget about it, but something compels her to leave it where it is, sitting in the middle of her paper among all the other lines she just wrote.</p><p> </p><p>Some days pass like that as Yui finishes up her concerts in the city. She receives the feedback that apparently her voice sounds more emotional now than it did before, and Yui assumes - but does not tell anyone - that it must be because she is singing for Minami now, even if the older woman is not in the audience.</p><p> </p><p>In the night after her last concert in the city, Yui decides that she wants to see Minami once more. She has to go to the other side of Japan for her upcoming concerts, so she wants to say goodbye properly - unlike Minami who left completely out of the blue when she transferred schools years ago. However, Yui realizes with disappointment, she has no idea where exactly Minami works and lives. The only thing she knows is that Minami went into a different direction from her at the traffic light near the hotel Yui is staying at.</p><p> </p><p>So that is where Yui goes. She sneaks out of the venue through one of its back doors before Takahashi-san can see her, and she heads to the traffic light where she said goodbye to Minami. Putting on a pair of sunglasses in addition to her mask to hide her face a little more, Yui tries to ask a few passerbys if they know Minami - but her plan fails, nobody seems to know her and especially not where she lives.</p><p> </p><p>It is then that Yui realizes that she didn’t hear her phone ring, not only once but two times consecutively. Apparently she has already missed one call from her manager, and he sounds a little exasperated and annoyed when she finally picks up his third call. “Yes?”</p><p> </p><p>
  <em> “Where on earth are you?! I’ve searched the entire venue for you twice and couldn’t find you!” </em>
</p><p> </p><p>“Oh, I’m sorry. I had to go out and get some fresh air. Don’t worry, I’m fine, nobody tried to kidnap me or anything.”</p><p> </p><p>Takahashi-san sighs heavily. <em> “You’re not supposed to disappear like this just because you need some fresh air. You have other concerts to prepare for, so please come to the hotel now. We’re leaving the city tomorrow.” </em></p><p> </p><p>Yui remains silent for a moment, stuffing her free hand into her pocket. Her fingers poke against a small piece of cardboard, and when she takes it out, her eyes widen slightly. “Sorry, Takahashi-san. I want to stay here a little longer. I have six days until the next concert, right? I’m taking four days off.”</p><p> </p><p>
  <em> “What?! That’s not possible, Yui. You have to come here, we have to-” </em>
</p><p> </p><p>“I know you’re going to say I need to practice, but I need a break.” She needs less of a break and more time with Minami, but her manager does not need to know that. “Besides, I’m working on a new song and this break will allow me to finish it. I’ll bring it with me when I join you again. Good night.” With that, Yui ends the call, puts the ringtone of her phone to silent, and asks the next person who walks past her if they know the convenience store that she is holding a business card of.</p><p> </p><p>It is easier to find someone who knows the convenience store, but Yui quickly learns that it belongs to a chain of which there are three stores in the city. She starts out looking for the one closest to the traffic light where she started to look for Minami - she knows that Minami apparently lives close enough to that traffic light and she likely would work in the store that is closest to her home.</p><p> </p><p>Yui then realizes that she doesn’t even know if Minami is working a night shift right now; but she is already here, so she enters the store, picks up a drink and strolls around the store for a few minutes to look for her childhood friend. Minami is nowhere to be seen, but when she approaches the register to pay for her drink, relief washes over Yui.</p><p> </p><p>Minami is sitting at one of the registers.</p><p> </p><p>Yui does not reveal her identity right there and then, but she decides to wait for Yui’s shift to end. She doesn’t have a hotel room anymore anyways, so she assumes it will be fine to stay near the convenience store a little longer.</p><p> </p><p>As she waits, Yui softly hums the melody of her new song to herself, trying to figure out how to best continue it. And then, finally, the door of the convenience store opens and Minami steps out of the building and starts to talk to Yui.</p><p> </p><hr/><p> </p><p>Yui spends the next few days in Minami’s apartment working on her new song. She stays there when Minami goes to work and then leaves the apartment and picks her friend up from the convenience store when Minami’s shift is over.</p><p> </p><p>During those days that she spends with Yui, Minami realizes once again what she missed so much in the last few years. The younger woman humming to herself softly when they’re cooking together - Yui’s smile when something goes according to her plans - the blissful sighs she lets out when she seems to melt under Minami’s touch while Minami tries to massage the tension out of her shoulders on their second evening together.</p><p> </p><p>It almost physically hurts Minami every time she tells herself that they are <em> just friends and nothing more </em>. Every now and then, she thinks her eyes caught sight of a hint of red on Yui’s little finger, but whenever she tries to focus on it, it disappears. She just wishes she could finally see Yui’s red string of fate leading to another person so she would have the confirmation that they don’t belong together, no matter how painful it would be.</p><p> </p><p>That revelation never comes to her, however, so she can only hope that she is good enough at hiding her feelings so that Yui will never find out how she feels.</p><p> </p><p>It is the morning of Yui’s third and last full day with Minami on which something changes. Minami is in the kitchen, cleaning the dishes after breakfast, while Yui sits on the sofa scribbling furiously onto the notepad that contains the lyrics for her new song. Just when Minami puts the last plate back into the cupboard, Yui calls for her.</p><p> </p><p>“Minami? Can you come here for a bit?”</p><p> </p><p>The older woman doesn’t give much thought to her response; she replies with a simple “Sure, what’s up?” and heads over to the sofa.</p><p> </p><p>Yui holds up the notepad, but uses her hands to cover the lyrics she wrote. “I think I might have finished the song. Will you listen to it?”</p><p> </p><p>Minami’s eyes go a little wide, but she nods and sits on the other end of the sofa. The concert made her realize how much she missed hearing her childhood friend sing, so obviously, she cannot refuse this offer. “Of course I’ll listen.”</p><p> </p><p>The younger woman smiles in satisfaction and starts to tap her fingers against her thigh in order to help herself hold a proper rhythm. As she sings, her voice sounds even more raw and emotional than it did during her concert. A part of Minami revels in the thought of this being something that only she gets to hear - even though she knows that that’s not how things are since the song will later be performed in concerts.</p><p> </p><p>It feels so good to hear Yui sing like this again - she used to sing for Minami every now and then in middle school, and each year, Minami got to pick a new short song that Yui would practice to sing for her birthday, so the older woman almost feels like she was transported back to that time. She thinks back to her fifteenth birthday, on which they had a sleepover in Minami’s house and Yui sang for her when they were already lying in their beds and the lights were off - and then the magical moment is over because Yui stops singing.</p><p> </p><p>The silence that follows almost prevails a little too long, so that Yui slowly speaks up. “Do you not-”</p><p> </p><p>“I <em> really </em> like it, Yui-chan. I just… can’t believe you’re writing your own songs now. It’s incredible how far you’ve come.” Minami smiles a little and tries to ignore the pain that came to her with the realization that this new song is a love song for someone else. “Did you write it just like that, or is there… someone who was your inspiration for it?”</p><p> </p><p>Yui’s laugh seems a little forced when she responds. “I already told you, didn’t I? I haven’t found my soulmate yet.”</p><p> </p><p>“Ah. Right.”</p><p> </p><p>“Can I ask you something too?” Yui asks, and continues when the older woman nods, “Why… did you leave back then?”</p><p> </p><p>Even though Yui doesn’t mention the exact time she is referring to, Minami knows perfectly well what she means. Her body stiffens and she gets up from the sofa, her smile from before faltering. “I… just realized that I forgot to buy new milk. Will you come shopping with me?”</p><p> </p><p>Disappointed and confused, Yui’s eyebrows furrow. “What are you saying? Aren’t you going to answer my question?”</p><p> </p><p>“There was no important reason. My parents had to move-”</p><p> </p><p>“Don’t they still live in our hometown? At least they did when I left, and that was way later than you did.”</p><p> </p><p>Minami’s heart clenches. She can’t tell Yui. Not when she doesn’t know who her own, and Yui’s, soulmate is. “Please, Yui-chan. I promise there was no important reason. I would’ve told you if there was.”</p><p> </p><p>It hurts to hear the disappointment in Yui’s voice when the younger woman speaks again. “Then, if it’s not important, why can’t you tell me? What happened to ‘you can always ask me anything, Yui-chan?’”</p><p> </p><p>A part of Minami almost wants to yell ‘that’s not fair’ when Yui brings up what she told her many years ago. She said that to Yui in a moment when she felt the need to cheer the younger girl up because things weren’t going the way she wanted, and the current situation feels different - to Minami, at least. She closes her mouth again just before she can say anything when she realizes that maybe Yui feels just as lost now as she did back then. “I’m sorry, Yui-chan. This is something I can’t tell you.”</p><p> </p><p>“Why not? Do I not deserve to know why my best friend left me and didn’t contact me for four years? It would’ve been even longer than that had I not seen you at the concert!”</p><p> </p><p>Minami has not imagined things to go like this. She was expecting pain, she has told herself she could handle it and it would be worth it if she could just be with Yui a little longer, but she has not expected this conversation to get this painful so fast. “You do deserve to know. But… I really can’t tell you, please understand that.”</p><p> </p><p>The younger woman snorts and gets up from the sofa, visibly frustrated. “That’s horrible, Minami. We’re best friends, and yet you can’t even tell me this… do you even know for how long I’ve been waiting to see you again so I could get an answer and <em> understand </em> you? I really don’t get what’s going through your head right now.”</p><p> </p><p>The conversation is starting to frustrate Minami at this point. Yui certainly has a stubborn side, she has always known that, but no matter how much she wants to give her friend an answer, she cannot. “I just can’t tell you, why won’t you accept that?!”</p><p> </p><p>“Because I missed you, damn it!” Yui never raises her voice against Minami, and to hear her do it now makes the older woman’s heart hurt even more. “Because I don’t understand why I couldn’t talk to you at all for four years! Because I don’t understand why I had to hunt you down like this when I finally found you!”</p><p> </p><p>Minami feels tears welling up in her eyes; she is at a loss for words. “I’m sorry-” She doesn’t remember how many times she has apologized in the last few minutes.</p><p> </p><p>Yui’s expression turns bitter. “If you’re sorry, then explain yourself!”</p><p> </p><p>The older woman can only shake her head. She opens her mouth to say something, <em> anything </em>, in an attempt to fix this situation, but before she can say anything, Yui’s phone starts to ring.</p><p> </p><p>For a moment, both of them are completely silent; the heavy silence in the apartment only broken by Yui’s ringtone. Then, the younger woman picks up the phone with a dark expression. “Yes?” she sharply snaps at the caller. “No. I know. I’m on my way.” After hanging up, she looks at Minami again. “Anything else you want to tell me?”</p><p> </p><p>There are so many things Minami wants to tell her, <em> I did it because I’m not supposed to love you </em> being one of them, but her voice refuses to come out.</p><p> </p><p>Then, Yui stomps towards the door. “Fine. You don’t need to come to my concerts anymore. Clearly, I’m not even worthy of a simple explanation, so you should stay away from me.”</p><p> </p><p>As she slams the door shut behind herself, Minami gasps in shock when a sharp pain rushes through her left small finger. She knows what that pain is, but she never expected to feel it herself, and especially not now of all times.</p><p> </p><p>The pain of almost losing one’s soulmate. She has learned that it comes as a warning when a string of fate is about to tear apart.</p><p> </p><p>Minami’s breath catches in her throat and she mouths Yui’s name, but the younger girl is already gone, leaving behind nothing but a painful silence in Minami’s apartment. She breaks down crying only moments later, her hands pulling at her hair as if that could take away any of the pain in her heart.</p><p> </p><hr/><p> </p><p>Yui feels like she was taken back to the time when Minami transferred schools, except this time, she is the one leaving the city.</p><p> </p><p>The one who called her during her fight with Minami was Takahashi-san who wanted to tell her that she needed to get going so she wouldn’t miss the train that would take her to the next concert venue. Yui took that chance to get out of the uncomfortable situation she was in, but now that she is on the other side of the country after a four-hour bullet train ride, she has had a lot of time to think about their fight.</p><p> </p><p>A part of Yui wants to apologize to Minami. She does feel bad for bringing up a topic that apparently hurts her childhood friend - but at the same time, she just wants to understand why Minami had to leave.</p><p> </p><p>Either way, it is too late for that now. Yui is already too far away and she doesn’t even have Minami’s new phone number. She has concerts to focus on too, and when she arrives at her hotel, Takahashi-san is waiting for her in the lobby.</p><p> </p><p>“<em> Finally </em> you’re here, Yui. What were you doing on those days? We would have needed you here.”</p><p> </p><p>“I know.” Normally, Yui would apologize at least halfheartedly, but she is still too focused on Minami and their fight. “But I’m here now, so it’s fine, right?”</p><p> </p><p>Her manager frowns slightly. “What happened, Yui?”</p><p> </p><p>“None of your business. Here.” She takes out the sheets of paper that she noted down the melody and lyrics for her new song on. “Can you give this to the band? I want to perform it as an encore for the very last concert.” That is her way of giving Minami - and herself - one last chance. Yui doesn’t want to leave the older girl the way she was left four years prior, but if Minami doesn’t make any attempt to explain herself by the time Yui has finished her scheduled concerts, the singer has decided to forget about her, no matter how hard it may be.</p><p> </p><p>Takahashi-san still looks dissatisfied when Yui turns around and heads towards the counter to check in and get the key to her room, but he looks through the sheets with the new song with a sigh. As always, the song is very good.</p><p> </p><p>When Yui starts to perform again, her fans notice that something about her feels different. She tries to be her normal energetic self that tries to hype up the crowd, but something is missing - the fun that she used to have on stage. It has always been so very visible how much Yui enjoys singing and being on stage, but now she simply seems sad.</p><p> </p><p>Like the performances are nothing but a job to her.</p><p> </p><p>Yui does not cry during her performances, no matter how much she sometimes feels like it. She keeps her emotions in check and tells herself that it will be fine if she never seems Minami again. That’s just how it will be. Maybe it is how things were always meant to be.</p><p> </p><p>Sometimes, she thinks back to the pain that rushed through her when she left Minami’s apartment - not emotional pain that came from her heart, but pain that came from her little finger. Yui has no idea what that pain was, but deep down, she assumes that Minami is the only one who can explain it to her. There is a faint hint of pain still in her finger, reminding her of that fight every minute of the day - and Yui only hopes it will stop soon.</p><p> </p><p>Minami does not show up for a single one of the concerts. Yui keeps her eyes peeled and looks for her every evening, but she does not see Minami even once. It disappoints her every time she tries and fails to find her childhood friend in the audience.</p><p> </p><p>On the evening of her last scheduled concert, Yui meets Takahashi-san and a member of the staff in the backstage area just before the start of the concert. “If I can’t stop crying tonight, please switch off the lights and my microphone and give me a few minutes,” she tells them, her voice flat as she puts the in-ear monitor into her ear.</p><p> </p><p>Her manager furrows his eyebrows skeptically. “Why would you cry tonight? Are you that emotional about it being your last concert?”</p><p> </p><p>No. This is the last chance she is giving Minami. The encore performance of her new song, <em> Shibuyagawa </em>, is the only time Yui will allow herself to cry if Minami really isn’t there.</p><p> </p><p>But she will not tell Takahashi-san about that. “If that’s what you want to believe,” she says instead. “I just don’t want everyone to see me at my worst.”</p><p> </p><p>“What are you saying, Yui? Nobody will see you at your worst.”</p><p> </p><p>Yui does not believe that. She fears that if Minami is not there to watch the concert tonight, letting go of her will hurt too much. But it is all she can do; Yui knows she cannot wait for Minami forever. Especially not if there is still a possibility that her soulmate <em> might </em> be someone else.</p><p> </p><p>Without another word, she picks up her microphone and guitar and steps out onto the stage.</p><p> </p><hr/><p> </p><p>A few days have passed since their fight, and Minami still feels the heavy depression that came with the pain of almost losing her soulmate. She is still not entirely sure if Yui is actually her soulmate - it might be that Yui’s actions just cut off any way for Minami to meet her real soulmate. But either way, Minami feels horribly guilty and sad because she lost the person she has feelings for as well.</p><p> </p><p>It reminds Minami of the time after she left, when she was new to the city and felt lonely without seeing Yui every day. She didn't plan on getting so used to Yui's presence again, but it happened so quickly and now that Yui is not here anymore, she feels that horrible loneliness all over again.</p><p> </p><p>Her coworkers notice that, of course. Especially Fuyuka, who has become a good friend to Minami, watches the slightly younger woman with concern. When the two of them are spending their lunch break together, she decides to speak up. “Minami, what’s wrong?”</p><p> </p><p>“Hm? Oh, nothing.” Minami doesn’t look at her coworker. She is too focused on her lunch - and the faint ache in her little finger, where she knows her red string of fate would be if she could see it.</p><p> </p><p>Fuyuka frowns slightly. “You’ve been really depressed for a few days, of course something is wrong. Please tell me, aren’t we friends?”</p><p> </p><p>Minami bites her lip, but finally gives in. She tells Fuyuka a short version of the story - that she met her childhood friend again and that they had a big fight and now she feels that she might lose her soulmate. “And now I’m probably never going to see Yui-chan again. I knew it was going to hurt, but… I didn’t think it would be like this.”</p><p> </p><p>The older woman seems to think about something for a few moments; then she starts to dig through her purse. “You said her name is Kobayashi Yui?”</p><p> </p><p>Confused, Minami nods.</p><p> </p><p>Fuyuka takes out an envelope and reveals a piece of thick paper that has Yui’s name printed on it in big letters - a ticket for one of her concerts. “And she is this Yui?”</p><p> </p><p>Minami gives her another nod. “I’d try to see her again if I could, but I really can’t afford another ticket,” she mutters, burying her face in her hands.</p><p> </p><p>Again, it is silent in the break room. Then, Fuyuka puts the envelope on the table and pushes it towards Minami. “Here. Take this.”</p><p> </p><p>“W-what?” The younger woman’s eyes widen in shock. “I can’t… it’s your ticket, you were looking forward to the concert, weren’t you?”</p><p> </p><p>“Yes.” Fuyuka grins at her. “I was looking forward to it, but I’m only a fan of her music. She’ll release more CDs and have more concerts that I can go to. You, on the other hand… you have a relationship to fix and a soulmate to find.”</p><p> </p><p>A small sob escapes Minami’s throat and she raises her hand to cover her mouth. “I… thank you…”</p><p> </p><p>Her coworker chuckles quietly. “I’m going to need the money back eventually, but you can pay me back at your own pace once you have the money. This is her last concert for now, so you’d better not mess this up.”</p><p> </p><p>Minami gets up and throws her arms around Fuyuka, pulling her into a tight hug. “You’re the best,” she mutters, her voice trembling slightly with emotion. “I’m definitely going to pay you back… I’m sorry for taking this chance to see her from you.”</p><p> </p><p>“You’re not taking anything from me.” Fuyuka pats the younger woman’s back reassuringly. “Now go and talk to the boss. The concert is on the day after tomorrow, you need to tell him that I’m covering your shift on that day.”</p><p> </p><p>“Oh, Fuu-chan-”</p><p> </p><p>“That means you’re taking my shift next Monday, alright? Now go already.” Fuyuka winks at her and gently pushes Minami towards the door.</p><p> </p><p>Thankfully, their boss accepts Minami’s request to let her take the day after tomorrow off. He even wishes her good luck with whatever important thing she is going to do, much to her relief.</p><p> </p><p>Thus, Minami spends most of that day on the train to Yui’s last concert. She makes it in time and checks into a cheap hotel in the late afternoon. The last hour before the concert venue opens, Minami spends lying on the bed in her hotel room and staring at the ceiling as she tries to figure out what to say to Yui. She can only hope that Yui will even listen to her at all; what if the singer hates her already? But she is already here, and she is not going to let Yui go without an explanation this time.</p><p> </p><p>In the evening, Minami heads to the venue. The ticket she received from Fuyuka is one for a seat at the front of the house, but she doesn’t want Yui to see her just yet, so Minami asks the security staff if she is allowed to sit at the back instead. Despite his surprise, the man gives her permission to do so because apparently the seats in the last rows aren’t completely sold out.</p><p> </p><p>Just like the first time she attended one of Yui’s concerts, Minami is impressed with her childhood friend’s talent. She does, however, notice that something seems very different from the last concert she watched. This time, Yui seems sadder and less lively, even if she still tries to hype up the crowd. There is a different aura to her than what not just Minami, but likely also the fans are used to. Her eyes seem to be searching the audience every now and then, and whenever she notices that, Minami tries to make herself smaller in her seat so she won’t be seen.</p><p> </p><p>The concert eventually comes to its end, but as the audience claps for Yui, she comes back onto the stage one last time. “There’s one more song I want to sing,” she announces, her voice so quiet that it couldn’t be heard without the microphone. “I’ve never performed it before, and I might not ever perform it again. It might not even be released. The title is… <em> Shibuyagawa </em>.”</p><p> </p><p>Minami perks up slightly; she remembers that word appearing in the song that Yui sang to her just before their fight. Indeed, it is the same song, except it is now more complete with instrumentals by the band and Yui playing the guitar herself. The song is even more beautiful like this, Minami thinks to herself, but Yui’s voice is soft and sad, and hearing her like this still makes Minami’s heart ache.</p><p> </p><p>When the song is over, Yui doesn’t give her audience the chance to clap for her. “I wrote this song for the person I love most in the world. I just… never got the chance to tell them. But they’re not here today, so…” She trails off, and if she was sitting at the front of the room in the seat that her ticket is for, Minami might have been able to see the single tear running down the singer’s cheek. Yui pauses for a moment, trying to collect herself. “I wish you all a safe trip home. Good night.”</p><p> </p><p>The lights go off, leaving the audience stunned. At the back of the room, Minami is crying to herself quietly; how could she not realize that Yui felt this way? Slowly, the people start to leave the hall, but Minami stays where she is. And then, she finally gets up and tries to make her way towards the stage. If she lets Yui leave now, she might lose her soulmate for good - and Minami cannot stand the idea of that.</p><p> </p><p>The crowd keeps pushing her towards the exit and next to her, someone mutters in disapproval, “What are you doing? She doesn’t talk to her fans after concerts.” Even a man wearing a vest that says SECURITY comes over towards her, but Minami cannot give up. She cannot lose Yui again.</p><p> </p><p>“Yui-chan! I’m here, Yui-chan!” But her voice is drowned out by the crowd around her.</p><p> </p><p>Yui is already gone from the stage; only the members of her band are slowly leaving the stage one after another. There is no guarantee that her voice will be heard by anyone, especially because the staff member is starting to push her towards the exit. Still, Minami screams her childhood friend’s name one last time, this time putting her all into it.</p><p> </p><p>“Yui-chan!”</p><p> </p><p>And then she sees it - the pale red string that spans across the venue and connects her with Yui.</p><p> </p><hr/><p> </p><p>Yui stops in her tracks when she feels something invisible pulling on her little finger. Slowly she turns around and steps back onto the stage, praying silently that she didn’t just imagine Minami’s voice calling for her. Her eyes search the crowd in the venue for the nth time that evening, and then she finally sees her.</p><p> </p><p>The now-familiar hair color. The shorter girl trying to push her way through the crowd.</p><p> </p><p>Yui grabs her microphone and switches it back on, her voice trembling slightly as she speaks. “Let her pass.”</p><p> </p><p>A confused murmur goes through the crowd; only few of them have actually noticed Minami trying to make her way to the stage. The staff member who is holding her back turns to look at Yui, a frown of disapproval on his face. He opens his mouth to say something, but Yui doesn’t let him speak.</p><p> </p><p>“I said, let her pass. I want to talk to her.”</p><p> </p><p>She watches Minami almost stumble when the staff member steps aside, but the older woman manages to catch herself and runs to the stage, the crowd finally making way for her - or maybe it almost looks like an invisible force is pushing them apart.</p><p> </p><p>Now that she is seeing Minami again, Yui doesn’t quite know what to say. A part of her wants to yell at the older woman for allowing their fight to happen; and the other part of her wants to pull Minami into a tight hug and never let her go again. Yui allows the latter part to take over and jumps down from the stage. She meets Minami just in front of the stage and wraps her arms tightly around the shorter woman.</p><p> </p><p>“Yui-chan-” Minami tries to speak up, but she is silenced when Yui presses her lips against hers. Minami’s eyes go wide but she doesn’t push the singer away and instead tries to reciprocate the kiss. When they finally separate again, Minami averts her eyes, though she doesn’t try to free herself from Yui’s hold. “I’m so sorry, Yui-chan. I… should have realized you felt the same way as I did.”</p><p> </p><p>“You’re an idiot, Minami.” Yui sighs and presses her cheek against the side of her friend’s head, not wanting to look at her because she can feel her eyes stinging again and she’s not going to let Minami see her cry now. “Are you going to explain everything to me now, or did you think I’d forgive you just like this just because I missed you so much?”</p><p> </p><p>The older woman sniffs quietly and wipes over her eyes, but at the same time, a small smile spreads on her face. “I’ll explain. Now that everything is like this… I’ll give you the explanation you deserve. You can ask me anything you want, but can we go somewhere else? I don’t think we should be talking about this here.”</p><p> </p><p>Yui nods in agreement; indeed, she thinks her hotel room would be a space much better suited to this conversation. “Will you come to my hotel with me? That’ll be a lot more private than this place.”</p><p> </p><p>Minami nods and takes a step back, finding that Yui’s hold on her has loosened enough to do so. “Of course.”</p><p> </p><p>They are walking close together again, but this time, Minami actually dares to take Yui’s hand when it brushes against hers for the second time. The younger woman does not complain; rather, she seems happy to feel Minami’s hand around hers. Her expression does darken, however, when her manager steps into their way. “What’s wrong, Takahashi-san?”</p><p> </p><p>He frowns slightly, looking down at their intertwined hands. “Are you satisfied now, Yui?”</p><p> </p><p>Yui does not even hesitate for a single second. “Yes. I’m completely satisfied.”</p><p> </p><p>Takahashi-san raises an eyebrow. “You’re going to need to do better from now on. Your most recent concerts have not lived up to our expectations.”</p><p> </p><p>The singer nods seriously. “I’ve found new inspiration, and we can release the new song I sang today. Don’t worry, I’m going to do better.”</p><p> </p><p>Her manager lets out a sigh and steps aside. “Then I have no reason to stop you now.”</p><p> </p><p>Once they are sitting in the car a few minutes later, Minami huffs quietly. “What right does he have to tell you to do better?”</p><p> </p><p>“He’s my manager, he has to think about what the company wants. It’s fine, Minami.”</p><p> </p><p>“But you had your reasons…”</p><p> </p><p>“I said it’s fine. He knows I had my reasons, and he also knows that I will do better because you’re going to make me happy from now on.”</p><p> </p><p>“Am I?”</p><p> </p><p>A small chuckle escapes Yui’s lips. “Well, I hope so. I’d be heartbroken if you let me kiss you and then told me that you already like someone else.”</p><p> </p><p>Minami shakes her head, falling quiet again. She looks down at their hands, and Yui wonders if she can finally see their red strings now. However, she decides not to ask that question yet because her red string of fate is not something the driver needs to know about.</p><p> </p><p>The car eventually stops in front of a hotel that looks more expensive than Minami’s. “Well, at least your company treats you right,” the older woman mutters in slight awe. “I can’t afford a room in a hotel this nice.”</p><p> </p><p>“You should stay for breakfast tomorrow, it’s amazing.” Yui instinctively takes Minami’s hand again as she leads the way to her room and unlocks the door. “But for now, I think we should have a serious conversation.”</p><p> </p><p>Minami nods seriously and moves to sit in the chair she found in the corner of the room while Yui sits down on the bed. “I… assume you want to hear why I left back then.” She receives a nod of agreement, so she continues, “It was because I was starting to develop feelings for you.”</p><p> </p><p>Yui’s eyes go wide; she was not expecting that. A part of her has always feared that Yui might have grown bored of her, but this is the exact opposite of what she was thinking. “Seriously? If you liked me, then why would you…”</p><p> </p><p>“Because I couldn’t see your red string.” Minami’s voice is quiet, and her right hand starts to rub her left little finger. “I couldn’t see your red string, so I didn’t know who your soulmate was. I’ve heard of people who fell for someone who was not their soulmate… those stories never end well, Yui-chan.”</p><p> </p><p>“I wouldn’t have cared. If I’d been able to be happy with you even for the shortest time, it would’ve been fine.”</p><p> </p><p>“No, it wouldn’t have been fine. Not for me. I couldn’t do that to you, Yui-chan… and not to myself, either. I thought the pain of <em> not </em> dating you would be more bearable.” The older woman averts her eyes and sighs heavily. “But then I met you again, and you stayed in my apartment, and I realized that I still loved you just as much as ever.”</p><p> </p><p>Yui hesitates for a moment, but then says what she is thinking. “And yet you didn’t tell me. You preferred fighting with me over this and almost losing me. Today… today was your last chance. If you hadn’t been there, I would’ve destroyed any evidence of <em> Shibuyagawa </em>’s existence and I would’ve tried to forget about you.”</p><p> </p><p>A weak smile spreads on Minami’s lips and she looks down at her left hand. “The fight made me realize something, Yui-chan. You must have felt it too, but maybe you weren’t aware of what it means… after our fight, I could feel the pain that always comes when someone is about to lose their soulmate. And now…” She reaches out to intertwine her left hand with Yui’s right. “Now I can finally see our strings.”</p><p> </p><p>Yui inhales sharply. “And…?”</p><p> </p><p>“We’re soulmates, Yui-chan.”</p><p> </p><p>The revelation takes away Yui’s breath. “You… you’re not lying?”</p><p> </p><p>Minami shakes her head. “I’m not, I promise.”</p><p> </p><p>For a moment, it is completely silent in the room. Then, Yui leans forward and presses her lips against Minami’s once again. This time, they don’t separate until both of them are out of breath with their cheeks red and their eyes sparkling with the excitement of finally having understood their relationship.</p><p> </p><hr/><p> </p><p>The night passes by in a blur. All Minami remembers afterwards is that she felt as warm and comfortable as she has not felt ever since she transferred schools.</p><p> </p><p>When she wakes up, she finds herself in the comfortable bed in Yui’s hotel room, with the younger woman’s arm draped possessively across her waist. Looking down at her left hand, Minami lets out a small sigh of relief when she sees the red string of fate that has now returned to a much more vibrant red color - the evidence of her soulmate being there with her, the sign that she is not in danger of losing her soulmate anymore.</p><p> </p><p>A part of her still feels guilty about how much she hurt Yui, but seeing the singer sleeping next to her like this makes her think that maybe everything will be okay - if she does better from now on, maybe she will be able to make up for the pain she brought Yui.</p><p> </p><p>The younger woman stirs and groans tiredly when Minami gently strokes her hand. “Minami… you’re still here,” she mutters, a sleepy smile on her face. “I thought maybe you’d leave me alone again.”</p><p> </p><p>“No, I won’t do that anymore. I don’t have a reason to leave you anymore,” Minami assures her, a hint of guilt in her voice.</p><p> </p><p>Yui looks satisfied upon hearing that. “Good,” she hums, leaning up to briefly kiss Minami. “Then everything will be fine.”</p><p> </p><p>Warmth fills Minami’s heart, and relief because Yui still trusts her. “Yes, it will,” she agrees quietly. She hopes that the singer is right; she can only do her best to make sure that Yui will be happy from now on.</p>
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